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Home » Recipes » Snacks & Appetizers

Maple Cayenne Toasted Walnuts

Modified: Mar 23, 2024 · Published: Feb 24, 2022 by Tera Gigot · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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These maple cayenne toasted walnuts are the spicy-sweet, healthy salad topper of your dreams! They're also great for snacking, jazzing up your baked goods with an unexpected spice, and making veggie side dishes more interesting with crunchy topping. All you need are four ingredients and 20 minutes!

Maple cayenne toasted walnuts in small white bowl on small wooden plate with other walnuts sprinkled around, on white and pink linen this recipe

As someone who has dedicated her career to making salads, veggies, and other healthy foods taste delicious, I firmly believe that toppings can be life-changing when it comes to flavor and texture. These maple cayenne toasted walnuts do just that with the perfect amount of spicy-sweet and toasty-crunchy, and done in less than 20 minutes (most of the work being done by the oven). They're perfect for snacks, salads, grain bowls, soup toppers, and crumbling on complementary spiced dishes like these Moroccan-spiced roasted carrots or even roasting right into these maple walnut roasted Brussels sprouts.

Fun fact, these toasted walnuts are even great for desserts (I'm serious!). The spiciness of cayenne makes your tastebuds more receptive to sweet tastes, amplifying your dessert-tasting experience. So no, you would not be crazy to throw some of these maple cayenne toasted walnuts into a healthy carrot cake. Whether you decide to spice up your Thai butternut squash soup or liven up a salad, you get to choose your own adventure here!

Jump to:
  • Key Ingredients
  • Substitutions & Variations
  • Let's Make These Spiced Walnuts
  • Storage
  • Pairings
  • 📖 Recipe

Key Ingredients

Ingredients for maple cayenne toasted walnuts.
  • Raw walnuts - I like to use walnut halves for size , but pieces could work too (note that they might cook more quickly, so pay close attention to avoid burning).
  • Pure maple syrup - Maples syrup adds sweetness and makes a nice sticky coating for the cayenne to get stuck in the walnut crevices. It also helps get them nice and caramelized!
  • Cayenne pepper - The seasoning that adds a spicy component to these walnuts.

Substitutions & Variations

  • Nuts - Swap the walnuts out for the same amount of pecans, almonds, cashews, or pepitas for different textures and flavors! My roasted rosemary mixed nuts are a great example of how different nut sizes and textures hold on to flavor (and you'll definitely want try those ones sometime too).
  • Cinnamon - Add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the spice mix, OR replace cayenne with cinnamon altogether.
  • Kid-friendly - Replace cayenne with cinnamon (see above), or try pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice instead.

Let's Make These Spiced Walnuts

Walnuts, cayenne, and salt tossed together in clear glass bowl.

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a medium bowl, combine walnuts, cayenne pepper, and salt, and stir to coat the walnuts in the spices.

Walnuts, cayenne, salt, and maple syrup tossed together in clear glass bowl.

Step 2: Pour in the maple syrup and stir until it evenly coats all of the walnuts.

Maple cayenne coated walnuts on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Step 3: Spread the walnuts in an even layer onto the prepared baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, gently stirring once halfway through.

Cayenne maple toasted walnuts on parchment lined baking sheet.

Step 4: Once they're done, allow them to cool on the sheet pan for a few minutes (they'll crisp up as they cool!). And then you're done - YUM! Time to snack and top all the delicious foods (highly recommend in this chicken salad with red grapes).

Hint: Since ovens vary, start to watch the walnuts closely when you approach the 12-minute mark. If they seem like they're getting overdone, take them out a little early and allow them to start cooling.

Maple cayenne toasted walnuts in small white bowl.

Storage

Store these cayenne and maple spiced walnuts in an airtight container (we love glass jars/containers) once they've cooled completely, for up to three months in a cool, dry place.

You can also freeze the walnuts in an airtight container (try to leave as little airspace as possible) for up to three months.

Pairings

Looking for ideas that you can top with these delicious toasted walnuts? Try one of the recipes below!

  • Moroccan-spiced roasted carrots with tahini sauce drizzled over the top.
    Incredible Moroccan-Spiced Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce
  • Thai-spiced butternut bisque in white ceramic bowl with curry roasted chickpeas, with denim blue linen on the side
    Thai Butternut Squash Soup with Curry Roasted Chickpeas
  • Chicken salad with grapes in white bowl with serving spoon.
    Chicken Salad with Grapes and Pecans
  • Peach blueberry salad with fork spearing a peach, in light blue bowl with aged balsamic in background
    Peach Blueberry Salad with Goat Cheese

Did you make these spicy-sweet toasted walnuts? Don't forget to leave a star rating 🌟 and comment below, and tag me on Instagram and Pinterest so I can see what you made!

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📖 Recipe

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Maple cayenne toasted walnuts in small white bowl on small wooden plate with other walnuts sprinkled around, on white and pink linen

Maple Cayenne Toasted Walnuts


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  • Author: Roots and Radishes
  • Total Time: 17 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
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Description

Maple cayenne toasted walnuts are a delicious, spicy-sweet addition to salads, desserts, or just to snack on! All you need are four ingredients and 20 minutes.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 cups walnut halves
  • 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup


Instructions

  1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. Combine walnuts, spices, and maple syrup. In a medium bowl, combine the walnuts, cayenne, and salt, and toss to coat. Then add maple syrup and stir until the nuts are evenly coated.
  3. Bake. Spread the maple and cayenne coated walnuts in an even layer across the prepared sheet pan, and bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring once halfway through. Once done, allow the walnuts to cool on the sheet pan for a few minutes, then enjoy!

Notes

  1. Store/freeze: Store walnuts in an airtight container and keep in a cool, dry place for up to three months. You can also freeze them in an airtight container with little airspace, and freeze for up to three months.
  2. Cook time: Check the walnuts at 12 minutes to see if they seem done. 15 minutes can be too long for some ovens, so smaller pieces of walnuts and edges will burn quickly! A tip that the walnuts are done is that the look toasted and smell fragrant.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Category: Snack, topping
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: ¼ cup
  • Calories: 212
  • Sugar: 5.3 g
  • Sodium: 74.2 mg
  • Fat: 19.1 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 9.2 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 4.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Did you make this recipe?

If you loved this recipe, make sure to let me know and give it a star rating (below)! Star ratings help Roots and Radishes recipes reach more people, which helps support the continued production of our content. Also, we'd LOVE to see what you make! Snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @rootsnradishes  🙂

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Tera Gigot, the author, photographer, and recipe developer of Roots and Radishes.

Hey, I'm Tera! And I'm so glad to meet you. I've been using seasonal produce to create recipes in my Wisconsin kitchen for 12 years. Here you'll find nourishing whole foods recipes that are approachable and delicious.

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Maple cayenne toasted walnuts in small white bowl on small wooden plate with other walnuts sprinkled around, on white and pink linen
Maple cayenne toasted walnuts in small white bowl on small wooden plate with other walnuts sprinkled around, on white and pink linen
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